Blood Barbies
by Angelikah
Summary: Caroline is a member of the multi-platinum girl group 'The Blood Barbies'. Klaus was sweet-talked by his sister into coming along on their summer world tour. Well, the sweet-talking wasn't really necessary. The prospect of spending the summer with Caroline Forbes provided all the motivation in the world. AU/AH. Klaroline-centric.
1. Whitmore

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy writing it ;) For those that have been waiting after I posted the preview on tumblr, go thank my Wifey (ckhybrid) for being born, because putting this chapter out earlier than planned is one of the things I'm doing for her birthday. :P  
Thank you to her for beta work, as well as Sophie and D. You guys are the actual best.  
Enjoy!  
-Angie**

* * *

 _I'm gonna make it to heaven  
light up the sky like a flame  
I'm gonna live forever  
Baby, remember my name_

 _\- "Fame"_

* * *

"I just don't get it, man. How can you not like them?"

Klaus shrugged, having been resigned to this conversation since Rebekah had told him the week before that they were announcing the group's album release date.

"It's just not my cup of tea, mate."

He had worked very hard over the last few years to make sure that no one at uni knew that he was related to Rebekah Mikaelson of the multi-platinum girl group The Blood Barbies, and he intended to keep it that way. It wasn't that he wasn't proud of her, because he was (when she wasn't flashing her bits at everyone in one of her sequined dance costumes, at least), he just didn't want to be treated differently.

Of course, not acknowledging that he was related to her also resulted in him having to wake up to a poster of her scantily clad form (and that of her groupmates) every damn morning because his roommate was _obsessed_.

Another reason why he could never admit his connection.

"Fine, fine. You have to admit though, they're hot."

He nodded, because he could be objective about this, okay?

"Especially the blonde one."

"Which blonde one?"

"Caroline, obviously."

He had the absurd urge to defend his sister out of loyalty, but when pitted against Caroline, well...he'd have to agree. She _was_ hot (and basically the epitome of perfection, in his humble opinion).

She came over for Christmas every year like the rest of her groupmates, and unlike the Petrova twins, who were the joint-mayors of Brat Town, and Bonnie, who was absurdly quiet until you got her on stage (where she turned into one of the best dancers he'd ever seen with an attitude to rival that of Rebekah), Caroline was pretty normal.

He was sure that he'd liked her from the moment he'd met her, and that had been six years ago (he and Caroline were the same age; the other girls were all a year or two younger).

His phone rang and he picked up, excusing himself after seeing it was Rebekah.

"Sister," he greeted.

"Hey, Nik! I'm just calling to say that we're coming."

"Coming where?"

"To your graduation, of course."

"Oh no, you're not," he said immediately.

"Yes, we are. I'm not going to miss it because of your ridiculous wish to pretend we're not related. Now that you're going to be out of uni, and we still have a month before we go on tour, you have no excuse. I'll fly in next week."

"No."

"I'm bringing Caroline," she sing-songed, dangling his one weakness in front of him (like the goddamn manipulative bitch she was).

"Fine."

Rebekah squealed and he resisted the urge to cover his ears.

 **XXX**

"Nik!" Rebekah screamed through the door, banging on it.

Klaus groaned, checking the clock. It was eight in the fucking morning, and that was like dawn for a college student (and he had another week of that before having to join the real world where nine was late morning, thanks very much). "Who's that?" Tyler asked sleepily, his hair sticking up in all directions.

"That's my sister," Klaus grumbled, getting up to open the door.

"Oh, good lord, Nik. Put a shirt on," Rebekah said irritably, pushing past him. "This room is terrible. Who decorated it, Elijah? Oh my lord, I hate that poster. They photoshopped me to look like I have man shoulders."

Tyler was halfway out of bed, only in boxers, looking like he'd been tazed. "You're Rebekah Mikaelson," he said slowly.

"And you're perceptive," Caroline's cheerful voice floated through the door, and Klaus heard the wheels of a suitcase dragging along the floor behind her. Sure enough, when she entered, smiling brightly with her blonde curls bouncing behind her as always, she clicked the handle back into place and leaned it against the wall.

"Hey, Klaus," she greeted, pulling him into a hug and kissing his cheek (he didn't blush, really, he didn't). "And I don't think it would be possible to give you man shoulders, Bekah."

"Says you. You look like a supermodel," Rebekah mumbled, still inspecting the poster.

Caroline rolled her eyes before turning to face Klaus's roommate. "Hey, you must be Tyler."

"You know my name?" he stuttered.

"Of course I do. You're Klaus's roommate, right?"

He nodded, still shell-shocked, making Caroline grin sympathetically. "Sorry, this must be a bit of a surprise."

Tyler breathed out a faint agreement before excusing himself, tossing a glare at Klaus on his way out.

"Nik. Shirt," Rebekah ordered, gesturing at the dresser.

"Which hotel are you staying at?" he asked as he pulled on one of his Henleys.

"Marriott," Rebekah said cheerfully. "We're actually here to move you out. No need to stay here when you can be in a hotel room."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Bekah."

"Of course it is," Caroline said, already flitting around, apparently taking inventory of his possessions. "You'd be hopeless at organizing everything without me."

It was true, but at the same time he wasn't keen on Caroline going through all of his things. "Why don't you just label the boxes and I'll pack everything in, love."

She shrugged. "Suit yourself. Do you have Sharpies?"

"What kind of art major would I be if I didn't?" he mumbled, digging through his desk and giving her a pack that had at least seven different colors, resisting the urge to smile as her eyes lit up at the color-coding potential.

He almost changed his mind when Caroline bent over to start labeling the boxes, her tongue poking out between her teeth. The way her shorts were practically painted over her arse should be illegal. Rebekah cleared her throat, her eyes darting from Klaus to Caroline rather pointedly, the message clear, and he reluctantly averted his eyes.

"Where's the restroom, Nik?"

"Down the hall to your left," he said almost automatically, staring anywhere but Caroline's legs.

Rebekah left, closing the door softly behind her.

"Do you have any plans after graduation?" Caroline asked as she stood up, capping the red Sharpie and pushing the box labeled _Textbooks_ towards the bookshelf.

He was immediately suspicious. They were going on their world tour from early June until mid-January of the next year, and the fact that Rebekah had left combined with Caroline's casual tone practically screamed ' _it's a trap!'_

"Nothing specific."

"Great. I need a favor."

He nearly groaned. The girls had all figured out that he had a soft spot for her, and from the pleading expression on her face, he knew the favor must be big.

"Depends what it is, love."

She gave him a flutter of her eyelashes and sauntered towards him, her lips pulled into a pout. "Well, you know we're going on tour, and we're kind of short a set designer, because Jeremy's wife Anna is having a baby, and we were wondering, you know, since you've basically done the set stuff for every theatre production you could get near since high school–"

"No. Absolutely not."

"Klaus," she whined, giving him a cajoling smile. "I- _We_ would really appreciate it."

"Of course you would," he mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Look, I understand that the situation must be desperate if they've sent you to sweet-talk me into it. Good form, but I'm afraid that in this instance it won't work."

"Please?" she asked. "What else would you be doing?"

"Looking for a job."

"We're offering you a job."

He huffed. While the idea of being in close quarters with Caroline for over six months was tempting, he wasn't sure it was worth _also_ being in close quarters with his bratty sister and the Petrova twins. She widened her eyes even more, and he realized how truly fucked he was.

"Would I have to actually go on the tour?"

She nodded. "Yeah. The set has to be kept in good condition, and we need someone to make sure everything runs smoothly in general. You'd be good at that."

He shrugged. It was true. He still wasn't sure he wanted to–-Damnit. She brought out the big-eyes-of-favor-requesting-doom.

"I'll think about it," he allowed.

She gave him the brightest smile he'd ever seen and pulled him into a hug, brushing her lips over his stubbled cheek. "Thank you, Klaus. Now, help me pack you up. We're due back at the hotel in an hour or Matt will come looking for us."

"The bodyguard that Rebekah was involved with?"

Caroline shot him a chastising look. "Rebekah _is_ involved with him. I suggest you behave."

"I think you're forgetting who has the power in this situation, love. I might decide not to come on your tour."

She rolled her eyes. "Hmm. If you say so. C'mon, let's get you packed."

 **XXX**

"So?"

Klaus grimaced as he took a bite of the muffin he'd taken from the complimentary buffet table in the corner of the hotel dining room, swallowing before he answered. "I'll do it."

Caroline and Rebekah high-fived, and he shook his head. "Wait. I have conditions."

"What conditions?" Rebekah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I do not have to have any more interaction with the Petrova twins than is strictly necessary."

"Done," Caroline said immediately.

"I will not be required to go on shopping trips of any kind, nor will I be required to manage autograph signings or publicity events in any way, shape, or form."

"Fine," Rebekah agreed, nodding. When she figured out that he wasn't going to say anything else, she smirked. "We leave the day after tomorrow. We have two more weeks of rehearsal before we leave for our first show, and you need to get started on the sets."

Klaus nodded, returning to his breakfast.

Rebekah gathered up her things, saying she'd stop at the drugstore quickly for an energy drink before the graduation ceremony, shoving on a pair of sunglasses, a light, fitted hoodie, and a floppy hat to fend off the paparazzi, and slinging her purse over her shoulder. "You coming with, Caroline?"

"Sure. Give me five to finish my breakfast."

"Yep. See you out front. I'll have Matt pull the car around."

Once Rebekah was out of earshot, Caroline turned to him, biting her lip lightly and looking at him with huge, green eyes.

His cock twitched, and he fought down a grimace.

"Thanks for this," Caroline said quietly. "I really appreciate it, and so does everyone else."

"You're welcome, love," he said, managing to keep his voice smooth.

She took a few gulps of orange juice and grabbed her purse before a little girl ran up to them in a pair of overalls, one of her front teeth missing. "You're Caroline!"

"That's right," Caroline said kindly, smiling.

"Will you sign something for me?" the girl asked, her eyes wide.

"Sure. Do you have something for me to sign and a pen?"

The girl nodded frantically, producing a receipt and a pen from a tiny plastic backpack.

Caroline smiled. "What's your name?"

"Jenny."

"All right, Jenny. It was nice to meet you," Caroline said, signing her name with a practiced cursive script, adding a dedication above it.

"You too," the girl said, blushing brightly before scampering off back to who Klaus assumed were Jenny's parents.

"Shall I walk you out?" he asked quietly, patting himself down to make sure he had his keys and wallet.

"No, it's fine. You should probably go back to the hotel room to get ready."

He nodded. "I suppose so."

He resisted the urge to look back as he walked towards the elevators. He was graduating from university that day, and he couldn't help but dread it. He hoped that Rebekah had the good sense to keep a low profile, but also knew that he shouldn't fool himself. It would be far more likely for Rebekah to push the commencement speaker away from the podium and lead the crowd in a congratulatory sing-along than for her to stay inconspicuous.

He swiped the keycard and grabbed his cap and gown from the hook by the closet door, putting it carefully into a small suitcase. He had an hour and a half until the ceremony, and he intended to make the most of every single one of the ninety minutes before everyone knew that he was related to Rebekah Mikaelson.

 **XXX**

"I told you he likes you."

Caroline sighed, shutting the van door behind her and buckling her seatbelt. "But what if he doesn't? What if we're both making something out of nothing?"

"You've got to be joking."

"What's your proof besides the fact that he stares at my ass every time he sees me? Everyone stares at my ass. I got rated number two in the annual 'Top Ten Best Celebrity Derrieres' article in GQ for the last two years. It proves nothing."

"And they were totally wrong. Kim and Heidi got robbed. You should have been number four at best."

"Wow. Thanks."

Rebekah gave an elegant shrug of her shoulders before smirking. "And anyway, trust me, my brother is head over heels for you."

"Okay, fine. Let's say he is. What am I supposed to do about it? I'm pretty sure Klaus would rather catch Ebola than go to red carpet events with me."

"Are you joking? He loves attention."

"Which is why he's tried to stay as far away from you as possible for the last four years…?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"He doesn't want to live in my shadow."

"Right, because living in mine is so much different."

"Of course it is. He doesn't want to have sex with me."

"I should hope not."

"Look, trust me, I know my brother. He likes you."

Caroline shrugged. "If you say so."

"I do, and I'm right."

"Bex, Care, we're here," Matt said quietly, parking outside the drugstore.

Rebekah stepped out of the car when he opened the door for her, thanking him, and the two girls walked into the store, Matt trailing behind them. Caroline followed Rebekah towards the food and drinks in the back, and grimaced as Rebekah grabbed a few cans of energy drinks, carrying them to the front.

The person at the cash register raised their eyebrows when they saw who they were ringing up, but didn't comment, making Caroline breathe an inward sigh of relief.

Things were different, however, when the girls got to the site of the ceremony. A petite brunette noticed them and her eyes lit up.

"Oh my god! You're Caroline Forbes, and you're Rebekah Mikaels-"

"And you're making me unable to hear my brother graduate," Rebekah interrupted the enthusiastic fan, who looked rather chastened.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's fine. Here," Caroline said, pulling out a pen and a notepad she kept for these kinds of situations, asking the student for her name before scribbling it on the pad with her signature.

The fan beamed and thanked her, walking away.

"You're just enabling them," Rebekah muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "It's fine, Bex. Just watch Klaus graduate so that we can get out of here."

 **XXX**

Lexi clapped her hands on beat, counting out loud as she walked the girls through the newest bit of choreography for one of their newer singles, which would be the closer before the encore.

"And pause...two...three...four...slowly turn, stomp right, look at the floor. Elena, you're just a bit off position. Just a bit stage left...good. You're supposed to end up right there. Okay, I want to see it again from the top, this time with the track."

Caroline nodded, chugging a quarter bottle of water before moving back to where she ended up from the song before, a bit short of breath. Lexi gave them all a moment to catch their breaths before counting down and starting the instrumental track.

Caroline fell into the familiar choreography easily, having gone over it multiple times with Bonnie the night before (who was quite easily the best dancer in the group), and felt proud of herself after the next half hour of practice. Lexi hadn't spoken to her once, which meant that she was spot on.

Unlike Elena, who seemed to not get any better at picking up choreography no matter how many years passed.

By the time practice was over, she felt achy and tired, and her hair was stuck to her face from sweat, her dance shorts and sports bra uncomfortably tight against her slick skin. She looked up from her cell phone when the door to the studio opened to find that everyone else had left, and Klaus was standing in the doorway. She hadn't bothered with a top, knowing that it would be a dance-heavy rehearsal and figuring that no one would bother them, and the forethought (or lack thereof) had certainly paid off.

Klaus's eyes were wide as he drank in her form, and she couldn't help but smile slightly as she turned to set her water bottle back down on the ground, bending over just a _bit_ more than was strictly necessary.

When she stood up, she found that Klaus had moved a few yards towards her, his eyes hungry and dark. She blushed, immediately inwardly kicking herself for it.

She was completely used to people staring at her. Her job was to _make_ people stare at her. She and the other Barbies (as they were so affectionately dubbed by their marketing team) were international sex symbols, and she was mostly okay with it.

There was something about Klaus, though, that made her heart beat just a bit faster in her chest. His family was blessed with stupidly good genetics (she had never seen a more consistently gorgeous family in her life), but it wasn't that (she'd turned down objectively more attractive men). It was the way he looked at her.

They had known each other for years, and she had liked him for almost the entire time (and she wasn't oblivious, no matter how much she denied it, she knew that he liked her too). He could be unpleasant and sarcastic, but he was, at heart, a good person, and he was _interesting,_ which was more than she could say for some guys she'd had relationships with.

He coughed lightly, and she realized she'd been staring.

"Hello, love."

"Hi."

"Rebekah was supposed to meet me here to walk me through the different parts of the show so I'd have a better idea of what to construct."

"Oh, she left a few minutes ago."

"So I gathered."

Caroline glared at him, and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Would you be willing to help me, love?"

Caroline bit her lip, but nodded. "Sure."

* * *

 **A/N: So, what do we think of the premise? Would you want to see more of the time pre-tour? Or do you want to skip to their time on the road?  
I have not decided on side pairings yet, but I am open to suggestions (though I can't guarantee that I'll go with the majority vote).  
Let me know your thoughts! :D  
Hugs!  
-Angie**

Copyright 2015, Angelikah


	2. New York

**A/N: Happy Klaroweek.  
Enjoy!  
-Angie**

* * *

 _I'm so sick of living for other people_  
 _Took meeting you to realise_  
 _I don't wanna lose ya, I wanna keep ya  
_

 _\- "Music Again"  
Adam Lambert_

* * *

Caroline inspected her make-up one last time before getting the okay from the make-up artist and smoothing down her skirt to join Rebekah and Bonnie off-stage. The Petrova twins were doing a photoshoot for the set of posters for the new album, and it was always easier to have three or less for talk shows. They heard the host introduce them, and the set person held up three fingers and counted down. The girls pasted smiles on their faces and walked together to the couch next to the desk, waving to the crowd, and settled together.

"Hello there, it's so nice to see you," the talk show host said, and they all giggled and confirmed that it was nice to see her too.

"So, some big news has been dropped recently, hasn't it?"

"Yep. Our album date was just announced for next February," Bonnie said cheerfully.

"And how are you guys feeling about it?"

"Oh, we had so much fun in the studio. It's always nice to be back there, you know?"

"I can imagine," the host said. "But you've had a bit of a loss recently, haven't you?"

"Yeah. It was really hard for us, but you know, we wish her the best," Bonnie said smoothly, trying to distract from the fixed smiles on Caroline and Rebekah's faces, flashing her white teeth at the crowd.

"But since the tour's just about to start, it must have been hard for Hayley to leave the group on such short notice? Any thoughts on that?"

"Yeah, it was. We're all such good friends, and it was hard to see her go. Unfortunately, she had other things she wanted to do, and we wish her the best on her other projects," Bonnie said again, the canned answer falling out naturally.

"Well, a lot of us have heard that the final straw was a spat between you and her, Caroline. Do you have any thoughts on that?"

Caroline felt the smile on her face stiffen. "That's totally not true. Hayley is one of my best friends, and I can't imagine fighting with her. We all miss her a ton, but we get that the part on the TV show is a huge opportunity for her. She's always wanted to go into acting, and it would be terrible for her to have to pass that up."

"So, to clarify, the reason she left was the TV show, not the fight?"

"Hayley and I are totally good. We're best friends, and I love her to death. There was no fight," Caroline said, lying through her teeth.

God, that _bitch_ …

"I see, I see. So, if that's the case, how are you going to handle her parts on tour?"

"The twins have a similar range, and since there's two of them there won't be much for them to have to learn," Rebekah said.

Caroline squeezed Rebekah's hand harshly on the couch. While her friend came by the 'Bitch Barbie' nickname honestly, it wasn't the time for some major shade-throwing.

"Our first show is June 16th, so we're really excited," Caroline said, changing the subject back to the actual tour.

"Of course, of course. And a little birdie told me that you have a new guest on your tour."

"We're really excited to have Davina open for us for the North American tour. She's a sweetheart."

"I'm sure she is, but I was referring to yet another sibling of yours that seems to have recently come out of the woodwork."

Rebekah laughed. "Yeah, my family never seems to end, does it?"

"It really doesn't," Caroline said with a fake conspiratorial whisper, making the other girls laugh.

"Do you guys spend a lot of time with each other's families?"

"We go around for Christmas and stuff. It's kind of tradition. Bex and I grew up really close to each other, so it's just easier."

"You have lots of brothers."

Rebekah laughed. "Yes. Lots of stories about them too, though I think they'd probably strangle me if I told them on national television."

The audience laughed.

"Maybe if they do something embarrassing," she continued, winking.

"Any cute ones?" the host asked, turning to Bonnie and Caroline.

"I think dating your best friend's brother goes against some unwritten girl code, doesn't it?"

"I don't know," Rebekah said teasingly, making Bonnie and Caroline both turn to shoot her angry glares.

"We need to take a break, but afterwards, more album and tour talk with these lovely girls."

 **XXX**

"Cross, step, cross, step, hip, pull, stomp, hold...two...three...look up. Good job. Rebekah, I need more energy on the hip-turn, and I know you can do it since that move is about bitchy attitude."

Rebekah huffed, but had a small smirk on her face.

"Caroline, on the movements with going forward, I need less saunter, more strut."

"Got it."

"Great. Good job, Elena, you did really well that time. Real time now, I'll count. Five...six...seven...eight."

Caroline went through the movements perfectly, adding an extra sway to her hips as she walked forward, smirking when Lexi nodded at her as she clapped to the beat to show that she was doing it right.

"Take five, drink some water. We're going to do another hour and then you're going to go to voice for a bit. After that I think you're meeting with Stefan to go over the cover choices and see if the band can handle learning any of them."

Caroline gratefully grabbed a water bottle and sat down with the other girls.

"Have you decided on your choices?" Katherine asked, taking a swig from her water bottle and breathing hard.

About halfway through every show, one or two of them would pick a song and perform it as a solo or duet. It gave all of the other girls an opportunity to rest, since they didn't need choreography for the extra songs.

It also gave good publicity because they were never recorded, and fans usually posted youtube videos of them.

"Yeah, I think so. I know some of the ones I want," Caroline said, shrugging.

"I'm really sad that we only have a week until tour starts. I'm going to miss Damon so much," Elena said mournfully.

"You'll be so distracted by work you're not going to miss him all that much," Caroline pointed out. "And I know he's scheduled a few things in LA for when we're supposed to be there. Don't worry, you'll manage."

Elena nodded before turning to Rebekah. "How are things going with...you know."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Elena, you don't need to talk about it like it's some horrible dirty secret. Vicki and I are doing well. Matt's an excellent cover story."

"But it _is_ a dirty secret," Katherine said.

"No. It's just a secret," Rebekah said irritably. "It's not a big deal. We're just waiting for the right time is all."

"I know, Bekah. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. You know that."

Rebekah gave Katherine a small smile. "I know."

"You could always pull one of those huge publicity stunts and sing a song to her for one of your solos," Elena suggested. "That'll send a message."

"She'd hate it though," Rebekah said, shrugging. "Look, it'll come out when it comes out. Sorry to change the subject, but you have the first solo spot, Bon. Has Kol gotten back to you yet? I've been harassing him for the past week about it."

"Yeah. He said he'd do it."

"Wait, do what?" Caroline asked. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to cover 'Say Something'."

"Isn't that a bit depressing for an opening show?" Katherine asked, wrinkling her nose.

Bonnie shrugged. "He's in town, and I wanted to do a duet with him, and it's a ballad that's easy to learn on the piano, so Luke won't have to learn too much."

"You could always do something a bit more...you know, _happy_ ," Elena said softly.

"I talked to Stefan and Luke about it last week. It should be okay."

"I think it's a good idea. I love that song," Caroline said.

Bonnie gave her a huge smile, and Lexi interrupted them, calling them back for more practice.

"Ready?"

They all nodded and Lexi started the track. All of the girls fell into the steps easily, and when Caroline saw Klaus leaning against the door three songs later, she had no idea how long he'd been there. He caught her eye and smiled slightly before slipping into the room and sitting on a bench against the wall, pulling out his phone to wait. It was another half hour before Lexi let them go, and Caroline chugged another bottle of water and waved at Klaus, very conscious of how her clothes were sticking to her.

He'd come by a few times near the end of dance practice, always under the pretense of wanting to check in with them, but his eyes always lingered just a bit too long on her breasts or legs and a bit too short on whoever he was speaking to for it to be a valid excuse.

She may or may not have started forgoing the tank top completely in favor of just a sports bra and spandex shorts on purpose, as well as heels, because they did the show in stilettos.

And they made her ass look even better.

"Hey," she said casually, brushing her damp hair out of her face. She didn't feel sexy at all, but from the way he was looking at her, she was sure that he liked her perfectly well when she was barely-covered by clothes and soaked in sweat.

"Hey."

"Did you need something?"

"Just came to see how you were faring."

"How I'm _faring_?" she teased.

"Are you making fun of me?" he asked (she could almost swear he was _pouting_ ).

"Only a little."

"Well, I'm done with the set. I have been asked by April to retrieve you and my sister."

"Oh, are we picking out dresses for the gala next week?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea, love. I do what I'm told."

"Oh, do you?" she asked, smirking at him.

He just rolled his eyes.

Caroline told him to wait a few minutes so that she and Rebekah could clean up (nothing worse than sweating all over an Oscar de la Renta avant garde piece—not that she'd know from experience or anything), and soon the girls were changed into fresh clothes and they were walking to the small room on the other side of the building where April was going through racks of dresses.

"Here. Try this one," she said as soon as she saw them, thrusting a purple gown into Rebekah's hands.

"I'm not wearing that, it looks like a pastry."

"Try it," April ordered, pointing to the changing screen.

Rebekah huffed but stomped over, muttering obscenities under her breath.

April pulled a blue bodycon dress of the rack and gave it to Caroline, who obligingly took it to the other changing screen, pulling off her shorts and t-shirt and wriggling into the spanx and push up bra before pulling on the blue dress and walking out.

Klaus was still there looking at his phone again, but he looked up when he heard her movement, and his eyes raked up and down her body.

She couldn't resist teasingly striking a pose for the imaginary camera, and she wasn't sure whether him wetting his lips was conscious or instinctive, but she knew she'd like that man's tongue on a different pair of lips.

And not the ones on her face.

"I told you, April, it looks awful. I'm not wearing this. Not in a _million_ years," Rebekah ranted, stomping out in a dress that did, indeed, make her resemble a rather badly decorated blonde cupcake.

Caroline stifled a smile, wondering if Rebekah would ever realize that the reason she was forced into five horrible dresses before she found "the one" was because April thought it was funny to watch her dramatics.

"I don't understand how you basically pick everyone else's dress on the first try, but it takes me _ages_ ," Rebekah whined, gesturing to Caroline.

April shrugged, her lips twitching. "I guess you're just a special case."

Caroline was let free after she changed out of the dress, and Klaus walked her out.

They liked each other. They both knew it.

They wanted each other, and they both knew that too.

Caroline had been waiting for him to graduate and acknowledge the fact that the group existed in his life. She wanted to be with him, and she _knew_ that he wanted to be with her, but was he prepared for the backlash?

His picture in the magazines, the death threats on social media (because _how dare_ she be happy with someone that wasn't a teenage boy who masturbated to a poster of her in their bedroom), the invasive personal questions…

The interviews.

Standing there smiling widely, all teeth and no personality, while she told the microphones shoved in their faces the things they wanted to hear.

Sour arm candy.

It wasn't fair to subject him to it, but it also wasn't fair to not give him a choice. Did he like her enough to deal with it? Who knew.

The fact was though, that he'd liked her when she was sixteen with teeth that weren't bleached and uneven fingernails. And not many people could say that.

She just had to get up the nerve to ask him.

 **XXX**

The week passed by quickly, and soon it was the night before they were set to leave, the girls' first show in three days. He'd hardly seen Caroline all week, since she'd been off doing promotion and he'd been working on the set and ordering people around to get ready for the tour. When he finally saw her with her suitcase and tired eyes, she smiled and gave him a hug, which he returned awkwardly. "Hey, how are you?"

"Fine, love. Thank you. What have you been up to?"

Caroline sighed. "Practicing. Lots of voice training and tea. I picked my songs too, so that's exciting."

"Songs?"

Caroline nodded and explained the cover tradition, making Klaus smile. "Ah, that's what Rebekah was going on about. Are you going to tell me what you picked, or is it a surprise?"

Caroline laughed. "It's not so much a surprise as that it might change. We'll see."

"Excited, at least?"

"Of course. I love touring. It's tiring, but I love the energy of it, you know? What about you?"

"Well, it's not _my_ tour, but yes, I suppose. It'll be interesting to travel. I haven't done much since I studied abroad."

"I don't think you can call spending a semester at Cambridge 'studying abroad', but yeah."

"Why not?"

"You're English," she pointed out, her lips twitching.

"It's still abroad," he said, smirking.

She shrugged. "Whatever. Anyway, I'm happy to show you some of the places that I've been. I've had to discover little hole-in-the-wall places because it's kind of a pain to get recognized and all that. We should go."

"And risk the paparazzi linking us together? Are you sure you want that?"

She smirked. "Who said that I didn't?"

He felt his heart stop in his chest for a moment, and then he felt his own lips twitch. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

She raised an eyebrow, somehow managing to make a shrug look elegant. "Off the record, yes."

"Well, _for the record,_ if you ever were to hypothetically ask, I'd like that."

She bit her lip, apparently a bit hesitant. "Good. Dinner in Boston? It's our first stop."

"It's a date," he said, still a bit (okay, _completely_ )floored that she'd asked him.

"It's a date," she agreed.

 **XXX**

The girls were all jittery. It was their first night on tour, and their first show (as well as his date with Caroline) was in two days. They were on the way to Boston from New York, and had checked into a tiny motel. The girls liked to avoid large hotels if they could help it, especially if the motel was clean and cheap, since they had less of a chance of being recognized (and saved money). Klaus was settled in the room next to Caroline and Rebekah, flipping through the television channels. He got his own room because he was paying for it personally (with Rebekah spotting most of it), and he was eternally thankful that he wouldn't have to sleep on the bus.

He was sitting in bed resting, he had moved a lot of things that day, and he was exhausted, when he heard the door that connected his room with Caroline and Rebekah's fly open. He groaned at the interruption, turning to glare at the intruder, and Caroline sauntered into the room, opening his suitcase and rooting through it without asking. "What are you doing?"

"Your bitchy sister spilled coffee all over my pajamas."

"They look fine to me," he said confusedly, before Caroline turned around and he raised his eyebrows. "How on earth did she manage to get that much on you? And why don't you have extras?"

"I forgot to pack extras."

That had to be the biggest lie he'd ever heard her tell. Caroline never forgot to pack things. She obsessively overpacked. She made lists ahead of time, during the packing process, and afterwards to double check.

He knew this because Rebekah complained about it, not because he stalked her.

Really.

Before he could point this out, however, his bathroom door had closed, and he had to remember to close his jaw when she emerged wearing one of his henleys, holding her soiled clothes over her arm, the hem of his shirt barely covering her arse.

"That's my shirt."

"I know. I need it," she said, walking towards the connecting door with an extra swing of her hips.

He amended his earlier observation as he watched her, the hem of his shirt swaying slightly on her form to give him quick peeks of the cheeks of her tight arse as she walked, his cock twitching in his pants.

"No. You don't," he argued, getting up and moving in front of the connecting door before she reached it.

Not that he objected to her in his shirt, but he definitely objected to her clearly trying to seduce him in his shirt when he couldn't fuck her.

If she hadn't wanted to wear it, she could have borrowed Rebekah's pajamas (or bought some, since heaven knew she could afford it).

Her mind seemed to be going along the same lines, because she gave him huge blue innocent-eyes. "Do you want it back? I'm sorry, I should have asked."

"Are you _trying_ to kill me?" he asked, ignoring her question (because 'I don't want it back, I want it on my floor' was probably not an appropriate answer). "You _shyly_ ask me on a date, which I am looking forward to immensely, when I have never seen you be shy in the entire time I've known you, but then you saunter into my room at eleven o'clock at night and borrow my shirt that's so indecently short that it barely—well, really, it _doesn't_ cover you."

She smirked, moving a hand up to run down his jaw. "Does it bother you?"

Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

Her lips approached his, and just as he was ready to kiss her hard and fuck her against the door, he was pulled out of his dream by a large thump from the wall separating his room from the girls.

Dream.

He had the urge to throw something.

It wasn't the first time he'd had sex dreams about Caroline (not by a _long_ shot), but it was the first time he'd had one when she was in the room next to him with his goddamn sister.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. Any predictions for how Hayley might play into this? Excited for their date? For the tour? Let me know what you think in a review!  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


	3. Boston

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the response to this fic!  
Yes, Rebekah is dating Vicki Donovan. No, this story won't be a slow burn. Klaus has nothing to do with Hayley's feud with Caroline.  
I hope that answers some questions :)  
Also, I have never been on a concert tour, nor am I famous, and therefore I have no idea if this is accurate at all. Suspend your disbelief. :P  
Thank you to D & Wifey for beta work.  
Enjoy!  
-Angie**

* * *

 _It's a long shot but I say why not  
_ _if I say forget it I know that I'll regret it  
_ _it's a long shot just to beat these odds  
_ _the chance is we won't make it  
_ _but I know if I don't take it there's no chance_

\- " _Long Shot"  
_ _Kelly Clarkson_

* * *

Klaus groaned as his phone beeped, pulling it out.

 _Dude, sry about making it weird this year. If ud told me I would have kept it a secret._

Klaus winced at Tyler's apology (and clear hurt that he hadn't been informed). They were actually reasonably good friends, and he knew that if the position had been reversed, he would have felt a bit betrayed as well.

 _I know, mate. I just didn't want to take any chances._

 _I understand np. I checked the tour and ull be in OH while Im at my parents place there. I kno ur not big on baseball, but the fam has season tix for 2 if ur interested in catching a game._

Klaus frowned. It was true. He'd rather claw his own eyes out than sit through a baseball game. Tyler's next text made it clearer, though.

 _Not that Im stalking or nething, but ur gf's into it. The tix are rly good seats._

 _Think of it as an apology for talking bout ur sisters tits for 2yrs_

Klaus snorted. _It'll take a lot more than that, mate. And Caroline's not my girlfriend._

 _Yet._ was Tyler's only response, and Klaus found himself suppressing a grimace. _Dont worry. Ur secrets safe._

 _I'll let you know._

 _Kk._

 **XXX**

They were lucky that they were around the day before the first show, because on show days they barely had any time for sightseeing unless it was in the morning. Almost the second they pulled up in front of the venue, Caroline was out of the bus, pushing sunglasses onto her face and pulling her hair back instead of her letting her trademark blonde waves fall around her shoulders.

That would give her and Klaus about half an hour to get to the restaurant unnoticed, if they were lucky.

Klaus met her right near the gates, and she grabbed his hand, giving him a questioning look. He squeezed hers reassuringly and they walked down the road together towards the restaurant she liked, Matt subtly following them.

"Two please," Klaus said to the woman at the front.

"Sit anywhere you like."

It only took about thirty seconds after Caroline took off her sunglasses.

"Oh my _god_. You're Caroline Forbes! Can I take a selfie?"

Caroline's smile was almost automatic, and she turned to the girl. "Yeah, totally. But would you mind doing me a favor and not posting it on Instagram or anything until we leave? I'm trying to show my friend around, you know?"

The girl nodded eagerly and Caroline leaned near her as she snapped a selfie, thanking her for agreeing to wait, and turning back to the menu. They ordered, the young waitress surprisingly professional, which made Caroline thank every deity she could think of.

"So, what have you been up to?"

Klaus's lips twitched and he raised his eyebrows at her. "My sister used her friend that I'm rather fond of to sweet-talk me into coming on tour with her."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Besides that."

He shrugged. "My life is far less interesting than yours, love."

"I'm not going to argue with that, but it's hard to have a more chaotic life than anyone in the business."

He nodded. "Well, if you meant to ask what my plans after graduation were before you stole me away, then the answer is that I have no idea whatsoever."

"We didn't _steal you away_. You came willingly."

"With the promise of a paycheck and seven months spent in your presence," he said before taking a sip of his water.

"Yeah, so willingly. Also, was me being there seriously that much of a selling point?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "Yes, Caroline. It really was."

"Why?"

"I fancy you, obviously."

She huffed. "You could have just asked me out like a normal human being."

He raised an eyebrow. "I doubt a normal human being would have a chance with you, love."

"That's not what I meant."

He shrugged, taking another sip of water, the glass clanking lightly when he set it down again. "I was going to ask, but I didn't want you to say yes and then be gone for seven months. To have you for just a few days and then watch you leave was not my preferred scenario."

"I get that, I guess."

"And anyway, now we can spend more time together. It'll be easier."

Frankly, she agreed wholeheartedly with his reasoning. "Well, that and the paparazzi won't go ballistic. You're on the crew of the tour, so it'll be harder to prove that we're together. I mean, not that they need proof in the first place at all, but you know what I mean."

"I do," he said, and was clearly about to say something else when they were interrupted.

"Spinach salad, vinaigrette on the side, and turkey club," the waitress announced, setting the plates down in front of them.

"Thanks," Caroline said, giving the other girl a smile.

"Of course. Can I get you guys anything else?"

"No, thank you, though."

"Enjoy."

"Are you nervous for the show tonight?" Klaus asked before taking a bite, changing the subject.

"Yeah. I mean, everyone always gets nervous before they perform," Caroline said absentmindedly as she carefully eyeballed one tablespoon of dressing and drizzled it over the salad. She was actively trying to resist looking at Klaus's sandwich, and was thankful that he didn't comment, probably having heard a great deal of Rebekah's rants about dietary restrictions and not wanting to get on the subject.

"Is that the truth or your canned answer?" he asked, and she blushed slightly.

"Honestly?"

"Always," he said, a small smile on his face, making her smile too.

"Well, I know that everyone always says they always have stage fright, and I do too when I'm asked about it, but to be honest I almost never do unless I'm doing the cover for the night. If I feel like I know what I'm doing, I just don't get nervous."

"Makes sense."

She shrugged, taking a sip of her water. "I guess."

They talked for awhile, exchanging embarrassing stories about Rebekah and talking about movies they liked. It felt like it was too soon when they paid (Caroline practically snatched his credit card out of his hand before putting hers down and only gave it back when the amused-looking waitress came to take the tray), and Caroline shoved her sunglasses on for the short walk to the car that Matt had left to pull around.

"Any other canned answers you want to talk about?" he joked, slinging his arm around her. She tried to suppress a smile.

"None that I want to talk about, but I might be willing to share some if you ask specifically."

"I don't watch your interviews, so I'm not quite sure what they ask you."

"That's probably a good thing."

"Why?"

She shrugged, trying to figure out how best to phrase it. "I'm not me on those things. I mean, I'm _me_ , but I have specific things I have to make sure I keep an eye on. You know how we all sort of have our characters? Like the Spice Girls?"

"Yeah. Hard to avoid, to be honest."

"Well, then you know that I'm supposed to be sort-of girl-next-door-ish. I can't swear or say anything that could pass as a sexual innuendo. Lots of smiling and blushing. I'm the good girl."

He looked like he was debating on whatever he was about to say before he spoke. "Do you ever get sick of being the good girl?"

She decided to take his words at face-value, though there was something about the way Klaus talked that always made her think of the dirtiest possible meaning of a phrase. She was completely used to sexuality seeping into her every day life because her _job_ was to be sexy. Klaus, though...he made her feel sexy in a way that grinding against hot, muscled men in music videos or posing half-naked for GQ never could. She felt heat pool in her center, a flush starting to stain her cheeks.

"Sometimes," she said.

"You don't have to pretend with me, you know," he said quietly, his voice silk around her ears, and she clenched her thighs together.

"What do you mean?"

"If you want to try being bad, if only for a night, all you have to do is ask."

His voice was husky and low in her ear, and she felt a shiver run down her body, her core contracting around empty air. She felt flushed and a bit breathless, and she bit her lip, trying to figure out how to answer.

"I do, but not tonight," she said honestly.

They hadn't even had their first kiss yet. Still though, she knew Klaus wasn't using her. She'd had a boyfriend or two that just wanted to be able to name-drop when they talked about their sexcapades, and Klaus wouldn't be one of them, something he proved with his answer.

"Fair enough."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Klaus turned to her. "Do you want to go out again?"

"I'd like that," she said, giving him a small smile.

 **XXX**

"You'll do great, Davina," Klaus heard Caroline say as he approached the backstage area.

The other girl nodded, bouncing on the balls of her feet before walking on at her cue. Caroline must have heard him, because she turned to face him.

"Hey," she said, smiling.

He let his eyes wander to the white cropped button-up shirt pulled tight around her middle, her breasts pushing up against the fabric, moving down to the tiny blue shorts hugging her ass and hips to the sky-high golden strappy heels, and he almost forgot how to breathe. She looked amused at his clear appraisal of her body. "Would you like me to turn around slowly? You can get a better look that way," she teased, pulling him back to the present.

"Sorry, love. Ready?"

"Of course," she said cheerfully. "We have about forty-five minutes before we go on, though. Davina's set is about half an hour, and then we have fifteen minutes to get the set ready for us."

"I know, love. I was informed of the schedule."

"Right, sorry."

"It's perfectly all right, love."

"I'm not exactly nervous, but I do get jittery before big shows sometimes."

"Understandable. Anything I can do to help?"

"Not really. I do kind of want to watch Davina's show a bit, though. She's really good. I'm glad we got her."

"You're a fan?"

"Definitely. This song especially."

He put an arm around her as she hummed along with Davina, and she sent him a small smile, moving closer to him. It surprised him how naturally she seemed to respond to his touch, but he supposed that with the number of people poking and prodding her all day she must be used to it. "What are we going to tell people?" she asked.

"Do we need to? It's your personal life."

"You know that we're going to have to make a statement about it at some point."

"Do you want to go out of your way to keep it a secret?" he asked, completely ready to let go of her at the risk of a make-up artist or roadie spilling the beans.

"No. I don't want you to be my dirty secret," she said quietly. "I just...We'll have to talk to Gia about it."

"Your publicist?"

She nodded. "Just to prepare her for it. I don't know when the statement will end up having to be released, but probably not until the press gets wind of it. I've found that asking the crew really nicely not to spill the beans works wonders, to be honest."

"All right, love. We'll talk to everyone and see if we can't convince them to stay quiet about it."

"Okay," she said, relaxing a bit more into him.

"Brother!"

Klaus looked around to see Kol's smirking face. "Hello, Kol."

"Hey, Kol!" Caroline greeted, giving his brother a huge hug. "It's great to see you! I'm so glad you came."

"Of course I did. Bonnie wanted me to do a duet, and when your girl asks you to do something…" he trailed off, giving Klaus a wicked grin. "Well, let's just say I hope you learn that lesson sooner rather than later with this one."

"Shut up Kol," Caroline mumbled, her face quickly starting to turn the color of a tomato, quite a feat considering how much foundation she had slathered onto her skin.

"Am I missing something?" Klaus asked, slightly amused.

Caroline shook her head, but Kol seemed all too happy to contribute. "Remember that bloke she dated a few months ago?"

"Jessie?"

Caroline groaned, starting to bury her face in her hands but abruptly pulling away, apparently not wanting to mess up her face. "It's not funny, Kol."

"On the contrary, darling, I find it quite amusing."

"Kol, I do hope you're not intentionally attempting to upset Caroline right before her show," Klaus said, a warning note in his voice.

"Not at all, Nik. I just wanted to tell you how they broke up."

"Kol…"

"Shh, darling, it's funny. She had a night off and they were in the same city, and she wanted to do the things on her list. Anyway, Jessie was having none of that, and he threw her list in the trash, can you imagine, Nik?"

Klaus could very well imagine it. He could also imagine Caroline's face when such a thing happened, and he was not at all surprised that it had resulted in the failure of their relationship.

"Can we _not_ , Kol?"

Kol was about to say something else, but Bonnie interrupted him. "Hey, you."

He kissed her softly, and she smiled brilliantly at him. "What are you talking about? You okay, Care? You look kind of flushed."

"Nothing, Bon. Just teasing Caroline a bit," Kol said, bending down to kiss her again, but she gently pushed him away.

"You're going to ruin my make-up, and you know how much I hate the chair."

"Sorry, darling."

"It's okay. Care, Davina's almost done. Five minutes until places."

"Okay, Bon."  
"C'mon, Kol," Bonnie said, grabbing his arm and steering him away.

Caroline turned back to Klaus, smoothing down her dress again. "Well, I should go."

"Do you say 'break a leg' for concerts?"

Caroline shrugged. "It doesn't matter, really. Although, I would appreciate a good luck kiss. Just a quick one, though. I don't want to get powder all over you."

He gave her a dimpled smile but bent down to peck her on the lips. It was the shortest, most chaste kiss he'd ever shared with someone, but it still made a pleasant warmth unfurl in his chest.

"Good luck," he said.

"Thanks."

She walked away quickly, and it was only a few minutes before the band took their places and the intro video began to play, and the crowd started screaming. A large, clear cage rose up out of the ground, the girls frozen in position, looking out at the crowd until the music began, and suddenly they were a blur of sound and motion.

He had the irrational urge to drag Caroline off the stage and tear her "clothes" off (as well as shoving as many layers onto Rebekah as possible on the way because _did their mother know she went out like that_?).

"They're quite good, aren't they?" Kol said quietly, his eyes fixed on Bonnie.

"Yes."

The crowd's yells became louder again as the girls finished their first song, all of them holding the endpose for a second or two before they broke formation, walking to spread out at the end of the stage facing the crowd.

"Hello, Boston!" Rebekah said into her microphone, making the crowd cheer loudly. "Are you excited to be here tonight?"

There was more cheering, and he could tell that Caroline's smile was completely genuine as she saw the glowsticks and signs from under the bright stage lights. She brought the microphone to her mouth. "Well, we're excited to be here with you guys for the very first show of our Predator tour!"

More screaming.

"Are you ready to have some fun?" Elena asked.

"We can't hear you! We asked _are you ready to have some fun?_ " Katherine followed up, holding her microphone out to the crowd, the crowd screaming back.

The girls all waited for Bonnie's cue, and when the other girl brought her hands up, the band started to play, and he found himself mesmerized by the sway of Caroline's hips and the way her hair flew around her. They were all breathing hard by the time they got to the part with the cover, and all the girls left the stage but Bonnie, a spotlight shining on her as she brought a stool from next to the piano out, sitting down.

"So, have any of you been to one of our shows before?"

There was an answering cheer, and Bonnie smiled.

"Great. Well, if you have, you know that we do a cover every show, and sometimes we bring on guests. Would you like to meet our guest tonight?"

Klaus was almost expecting Bonnie to cover her ears, but she just smiled until they died down a bit and introduced Kol, who brought his stool over to sit beside hers.

The opening notes played, and Klaus was distracted by Caroline, who came up beside him, breathing hard, uncapping a bottle of water.

She chugged half of it before smiling at Klaus, turning slightly to allow one of the make-up artists to touch up her powder. "You guys are doing really well," he said.

"Don't sound so surprised," she said, before pausing, the water bottle halfway to her mouth. "You haven't been to one of our shows before, have you?"

He shook his head, and she smirked, the makeup artist muttering that she was done and leaving. "Well, I suggest that once Bonnie is done with her duet, you pay very close attention two songs later."

"Why?"

She bit her lip, and he could tell that it was _meant_ to be seductive, rather than the nervous habit she had when she wasn't performing, pressing herself against him, their foreheads touching while she ran her fingers lightly through his hair, her hot breath landing on his ear.

If she was like this during every show, he'd be perfectly happy to go to every single one.

"Have you ever seen our music video for Predator?"

He felt his cock twitch against her barely-covered thigh at the husky quality to her voice, and he felt her lips curl into a smirk against his jaw at his reaction.

He vaguely recalled seeing clips of it on television, but tended not to watch the music videos as they always seemed to involve his half-naked sister straddling equally half-naked men, so he shook his head, the movement made difficult by her fingernails raking lightly down his head and neck.

"Okay, well the dance is pretty much identical to the video. You'll see."

"I look forward to it," he mumbled.

"Bonnie and Kol are almost done," she said, sighing softly as his hands stroked the bare skin of her stomach between her crop top and her shorts. She pulled away, giving him a small smile, and positioned herself at the thirty second warning.

He watched her dance in fascination, the way her breasts bounced slightly as she moved, her hips swaying to the loud bass thumping through the room. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her as she bent down, her back arched, arse high in the air before she slowly stood up, flipping her hair back, and he'd seen her do it before (with less skin covered and tighter material), and he couldn't figure out how it was different-so much more seductive.

It was when she turned around and met his eyes, giving him a wink so brief no one would have noticed if they hadn't been staring directly at her and known it was even a remote possibility, that he knew it was because she knew he was watching.

And she liked it.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Please let me know what you think in the review box, since that's the only way I get feedback, and feedback is the only way a writer can improve :) Do you like Bonnie & Kol in this? What do you think about Klaus & Caroline's decision to go slow? Do you have any predictions on how the press will find out that Klaus and Caroline are together? Let me know!  
** **Hugs!  
-Angie**


	4. Nashville

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long. Thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!  
Again, I have never been a pop star, nor have I been on tour. All of this stuff is based on "day in the life" interviews and stuff like that.  
** **Thank you to D, Sophie, and Ravyn for beta work.  
** **Enjoy!  
** **-Angie**

* * *

 _Late night, watching television_  
 _But how'd we get in this position?_  
 _It's way too soon, I know this isn't love_  
 _But I need to tell you something_  
 _I really really really really really really like you_

 _\- "I Really Like You"  
Carly Rae Jepsen_

* * *

Rebekah had begged everyone to let Klaus sleep in the tour bus with the girls instead of on the other one that carried the rest of the crew, and that was how he found himself on his bed, trying to block out the sound of Caroline changing into her pajamas. She was humming to herself, and he would have found it adorable if he hadn't known that she was barely dressed right behind the curtain concealing her bed.

"Klaus?" she called, knocking on the frame of his small cubby where the bed was.

"Yes, love?"

"Can I open the–"

"Yes."

The curtain slid aside, and Caroline stood before him, her hair damp from the shower. "Hey."

"Hello," he said, trying (and failing) to keep his eyes from roving over her form. Her tank top was wet in places and clinging to her torso, her pert breasts straining against the fabric, pebbled nipples poking against the half-transparent white cotton.

"Did you like the show?"

"Yes. You were particularly good," he said, giving her a dimpled smile.

She rolled her eyes, though was clearly trying to suppress a smile. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

He just sat up slightly and reached to grab her hand, placing a kiss against her palm.

"We're not having sex," she said bluntly, a flush creeping up her cheeks.

"I'm aware of that, sweetheart."

"I want to wait a few weeks."

"Whenever you're ready," he confirmed.

"Good," she said, confidently climbing into his tiny bed and straddling him, her soft curves pressed against him.

She slotted her lips against his, biting down gently, making him groan, before pushing her tongue into his mouth.

His hands found her ass, squeezing it lightly through the tight fabric of her shorts, which were clinging to her soft skin. His fingers crept below the hem of the cloth, stroking along the curve of her arse, the light brush of his fingertips against her skin making her shiver. She pressed her covered core against his already hardening cock, and he groaned into her mouth, making her smile against him, her teeth sinking harshly into his lower lip.

He couldn't stop the growl bubbling up in his throat, and he slightly clumsily flipped them over, his hands pushing underneath her tank top to stroke the soft skin of her abdomen as she wrapped her legs around him.

She rolled her hips against him, moaning into his mouth, one of her hands tangling into his hair while the other fisted the back of his shirt as she rubbed herself against him, moaning loudly. She pulled away for breath and he grimaced as his hips jerked against her center, making them both moan softly. "You're going to give me blue balls, love."

"I'm sure you can take care of it," she mumbled, already pulling his face back down to hers to kiss and nibble at his jaw.

"Caroline," he mumbled through her kisses, trying to make her stop.

"What?" she asked, slightly breathless.

He looked at her; eyes dark, lips puffy, her gaze full of lust and affection. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, her blonde hair spread out around her on his pillow, her top hiked up just under her breasts, and he felt his mind go blank as his fingers, almost with a mind of their own, rubbed her abdomen and hips.

"Never mind."

She grinned and pulled his lips back down to hers.

 **XXX**

 _Hayley Marshall Speaks Out!_

 _by Meredith Fell  
_

 _I had the opportunity to sit down with Hayley Marshall, who is a new cast member on the hit vampire show The Originals. Though the program has been suffering from increasingly plummeting ratings, it is clear that Hayley and the producers of the show hope to remedy that with her casting as one of the lead character's main love interest._

 _We met at her new apartment in Los Angeles, one she'd purchased to be close to the set of her new television show. She was dressed casually in a denim miniskirt and multi-colored crochet top, and despite our meeting place being her living room; she still wore a brown leather jacket, and artfully scuffed up cowboy boots._

" _My feet get cold," she joked, her southern twang prominent in her voice, giving me a playful wink before offering me ice water._

 _Her choice in clothing is consistent with her reputation as a previous member of the girl group The Blood Barbies, where she gained a reputation as an all-American southern tomboy, despite her competitiveness on the pageant circuit._

 _She very recently left the group, on amicable terms by all official accounts, but there's been some suspicion for quite awhile that the parting wasn't as friendly as the claims have been._

" _Oh, we were great friends," Hayley says reassuringly, a huge smile on her face._

 _She looks suddenly tired; she slumps back in her seat and recrosses her legs, smoothing her skirt. "I don't know," she says. "I mean, I'm still friends with all the girls. Caroline and I were really, really close, though, and it sucks that I had to leave."_

 _I ask if she regrets it and she shrugs again._

" _I mean, sometimes. I'm happy that I took the part, obviously. I've wanted to do television for a really long time, and I think I kind of outgrew the group a little bit. It's just, like, I remember telling them, and the looks on their faces. They're my best friends, they have been for years, and it was just hard. Caroline has that look, I'm sure you've seen it, where she just kind of makes you feel like you personally wronged the universe," she laughs, clearly to show she's joking, but I couldn't help but notice the hurt in her posture._

" _I know there have been rumors circling that Caroline and I got in a huge fight before I left," she continues. "It's kind of true. Caroline and I fought a lot, but she was like my sister, you know? And I know she feels that way about me too. I get that she's hurt, and it sucks. We've talked a bit, and I know we'll get back there eventually."_

 _I asked her to tell me a bit more about the television show, and she suddenly lights up, a huge smile spreading across her face. "I'm really excited. The show is so great, and the cast is already like my family. We've already filmed my first few episodes, and it's been a great experience. I'm really excited for everyone to see it. All of them are so talented, and I'm so new to it. It's obviously tough to hide my accent, but I think I do a decent job."_

 _She laughs, and I ask if there are any spoilers she can give..._

 **XXX**

"Hey Gia," Caroline greeted cheerfully, holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she wriggled into her shorts.

"Caroline. What can I do for you?"

"I need you to prepare a statement for when someone figures out that I'm dating Klaus," Caroline said bluntly. "You know, Rebekah's brother?"

"It's about time," Gia said dryly, and Caroline laughed, settling back on her bed.

"Yeah, I know. I also wanted to talk to you about a possible publicity thing in a few weeks when we get to Dallas."

"Caroline…" Gia said, sighing, and Caroline narrowed her eyes, despite the fact that GIa wouldn't see it.

"What?"

"Don't you think that might be a little...petty?"

"You don't even know what I have planned yet."

"No, but I have a pretty good guess."

"Gia, you know what they say about assumptions…"

She heard Gia scoff on the other end of the line. "Well, fine. Run it by me. I know you're going to do it anyway whether I okay it or not, so you might as well give me some time to plan for it."

"You know me too well. So, this is what I was planning. As you know, Dallas is Hayley's hometown."

"Yep," Gia said dully. "Going for the symbolism with the hometown. I applaud your creativity."

"It doesn't need to be creative. It needs to make a statement," Caroline said cheerfully. "And after all, it's just a coincidence, right?"

"Caroline, before you go on, I'd just like to reiterate that this will make you seem like a petty child. You'll alienate people that were previously on your side. This isn't a good move."

"Did you not see Hayley's interview in Vanity Fair? She made me look like a huge bitch."

"Of course I saw it. The thing is, everyone will have forgotten about it by the time you guys get to Dallas in a few weeks, and you'll just be proving her point."

"So we'll bring it up again. I'll do an interview a few days before."

"Caroline, I really don't think this is a good idea."

Caroline stayed silent for a few moments before taking a deep breath. "Look, yes, it's petty. Yes, it's obvious. Yes, it's not exactly corresponding with my image. The thing is, I want to do it, and I'm going to."

She heard Gia sigh on the other end of the line. "All right. Let's hear your plan. After that I want to talk to you a bit more about Klaus."

"Okay. So, here's what I was thinking…"

 **XXX**

Klaus might have been regretting his choice not to finish himself off last night, instead opting for splashing his face with very, very cold water and falling into bed.

They'd spent the past few hours on the road before stopping just outside of Nashville so that the girls could attend a charity gala that night.

He'd excused himself from Caroline's supposedly half-hour-long consultation with April to return to the bus, knowing that watching Caroline model dresses that hugged every curve of her body (despite the fact that she'd pick one of the first few, she seemed to like dressing up) would be detrimental to his health, prick-related and otherwise.

He knew that the others were supposed to be out as well, and resolved to take a nap, since he knew he'd probably be up late taking advantage of the girls being gone to catch up on the television he was missing.

He was surprised, therefore, when he heard the distinct sound of feminine moaning emitting from a cot near the back in the area where Rebekah and Bonnie slept. Knowing that either way it would be Kol or Rebekah participating, and having no interest in catching them in the act, he turned to leave.

However, he froze when he heard a distinctly different feminine moan.

Confused, he was tempted to investigate, but knew it was impolite to intrude.

However, it meant that either Bonnie was cheating on his brother (unacceptable) or Rebekah was cheating on Matt (unacceptable, but it was his sister, so he was automatically on her side).

He felt a bit conflicted, and he decided to make as much noise as physically possible while walking to his cot.

He stomped over very loudly and pulled his curtain to the side a bit too roughly. The noises had stopped, and Klaus tried to subtly look towards the back.

"I swear to god, Elena, I knew you weren't fun enough to survive with Kat at the movies, but I told you that we had the van rese–Oh my god, Nik!"

Rebekah had poked her head out of her bed and blushed bright red when she saw who had interrupted.

"Sister. What's going on, exactly?"

"Did you expect me to be a virgin?" Rebekah asked, immediately defensive.

"Well, while I'd prefer to believe it, I know that practically it's almost impossible, and it's also none of my business," he said slowly. "However, I saw your supposed boyfriend just outside, and I must admit that I'm curious."

Rebekah bit her lip and retreated back behind the curtain, and he heard some rustling and a feminine _'oof_ ' of surprise, as though Rebekah had jostled her partner, before she moved out again, a bathrobe wrapped around her, finger-combing her hair.

"Well, I have something to tell you, I suppose."

"Right," he said slowly, trying not to look too impatient.

Rebekah took a deep breath and spoke in a rush. "I'm dating Matt's sister and I lied to you because I was afraid to tell you because you know how Finn is and I don't know it's just–"

"Finn's a prick," Klaus interrupted. "Worst kept secret in the family."

She snorted. "True, I suppose."

"Am I allowed to meet her, or is she naked?"

"Give me a minute or two," a woman-presumably Rebekah's girlfriend-said from behind the curtain.

"Leave, Nik."

He rolled his eyes and got into his tiny bed nook, closing the curtain behind him and pulling out his phone to check his texts while he tried to ignore the rustling on the other side. One of the most infuriating things about the bus was the complete lack of privacy.

 _Hey. hows it going? Saw some of yesterdays concert on twitter. how was boston?_ Tyler had sent an hour ago.

Klaus typed a general answer that Boston was fine, and they should arrive in Baltimore by the next afternoon (they'd stopped for a break in Nashville for the gala, which the girls had to start getting ready for in less than an hour), deciding to talk to Caroline about whether he could tell Tyler if he promised to keep it quiet.

"You can come out now, Nik."

He poked his head out of his bunk and saw a pretty girl with a slightly sheepish expression standing next to Rebekah, who had her arms crossed, her chin jutting out as though she was still expecting a fight.

"I'm Klaus," he said unnecessarily, getting up and holding out his hand to the girl.

"Vicki," she introduced herself.

"Please don't tell anyone, Nik," Rebekah interrupted.

"Who already knows?"

"All the girls, Kol, Matt, and Gia."

"So I can talk to Caroline?"

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled to gossip," Rebekah said dryly. "She's been giving me unsolicited advice to tell you for awhile now."

Klaus shrugged. Caroline certainly loved giving unsolicited advice, and she could be a bit pushy in general, but it was one of the things that made her Caroline, and he wasn't about to try to change it.

Occasionally it was even sort of cute.

 **XXX**

"Klaus?" Caroline called, knocking lightly on the doorway to his cot.

"Yes, love?"

She let a small amused smile spread over her face when he pulled the curtain aside, his hair sleep-rumpled, small indents on his cheek from the wrinkles in his pillow.

"I'm about to leave."

"You look radiant," he said, clearly suppressing a yawn, and he grabbed her hand, pressing a soft, open-mouthed kiss to her palm, making her shiver.

"Can I steal your necklace? The feather one?"

He raised an eyebrow but sat up on his elbows. "I suppose. Might I ask why?"

"Gia wants me to hint at our relationship early. Good publicity."

"I'm not a publicity stunt," he mumbled.

"I know," she said sympathetically.

"If I was, you'd tell me, right?"

"I'd never do that. I like you, Klaus," she said, more than a bit hurt.

"I didn't mean it like that, sweetheart," he said, his voice still slightly rough from sleep, and she felt a familiar light ache between her thighs at the sound.

"Okay. Well, I wish I was staying back tonight," she said, unable to completely keep the reproachfulness out of her tone, lifting her hair and turning so that he could stand and fasten the necklace around her neck.

"Me too," he said, pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder blade. "I'm sorry, Caroline. I was just teasing. I know you wouldn't do that."

"Okay," she said quietly, turning to give him a soft kiss. "I'll text you. Maybe you can keep me from being too bored?"

He snorted. "I'll make sure to send you lots of exciting texts with Hannibal spoilers."

"Please. I'm all caught up," she said, grinning. "But I actually meant _exciting_ texts."

He smirked. "Looking forward to it."

She kissed him again, this time more heatedly, his tongue stroking the seam of her mouth before pushing inside, and she moaned softly, tangling her fingers in his hair and groaning as he cupped her ass over her dress.

"Caroline, we have to go!" Matt shouted, banging on the tour bus door.

"Sorry. Be right there," she called before turning back to Klaus and kissing him again quickly. "Bye."

"Have fun, love."

"Oh, I will. With your help," she said teasingly before hurrying off, grabbing her clutch off of her bed on the way.

 **XXX**

Honestly, parties (at least the kind where you wore fancy dresses and ate finger foods) were pretty boring. Caroline resisted the urge to sigh as she resisted the urge to eat another crab cake.

As usual, she had been limited to one appetizer containing something that wasn't a brightly colored vegetable by Alaric, their trainer/nutritionist. Really, the worst part of these things was watching people eat things you couldn't.

Her phone vibrated, and she pulled it out of her clutch as discreetly as possible, typing the unlock code to open her texts.

 _Enjoying yourself, love?_

She smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and quickly looking around before responding. _Not really. I would rather be back with you._

 _I'd rather you were here as well. You really did look ravishing before you left._

Before she could respond, he sent another text.

 _I would have preferred your dress crumpled on the floor with your pretty legs slung over my shoulders, however._

She fought down the blush suddenly staining her cheeks, the ache stirring between her thighs, as she imagined his face buried in her heat, his tongue so perfectly teasing her clit.

 _I would have preferred it too. But first I would rather you bunched my dress around my waist and took me from behind. I want to feel your cock in me, Klaus._

 _I'd love to dig my fingers into your perfect hips while I fuck you,_ he responded immediately. _Are you sitting at a table at the gala secretly soaking for me under your dress?_

 _Yes._

 _Rather naughty for the good girl, isn't it, love?_

She blushed, biting her lip and debating her response. _I'll be good for you. Are you hard for me, Klaus?_

 _Of course._

 _Tell me what you want._

He didn't respond for just a moment before he began to type again. _I want you on your knees with your pretty lips wrapped around my cock. I want to see your arousal slick on your thighs, to see you rub them together, desperate for friction while I fuck your mouth._

 _I want to tease you with my tongue,_ she responded. _I want to bring you to the edge until you beg for me before I lie back and spread my legs for your cock._

 _On the contrary, love, I'd rather hear you scream for me. I want your legs wrapped around my waist and your nails scratching down my back while you beg._

Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she knew that she was subconsciously rubbing her thighs together. All she could picture was him looming above her, his teeth gritted, eyes dark with lust as he pounded her into the mattress. She could almost hear him panting her name in her ear, his breath hot on her neck, and she swiped a glass of champagne from a nearby waiter, trying not to down it in one gulp.

She wondered if he was touching himself now, his cock hard and hot in his hand as he pictured her. The image made the tug of arousal more intense, and she couldn't help but gasp out loud, covering the sound with another sip of champagne, before realizing that an acquaintance was walking towards her.

 _Someone's coming to the table,_ she wrote, sending the text, and trying not to blush at his almost immediate response.

 _Imagine me under the table, my face between your thighs, pleasuring you with my tongue as you try not to moan._

"Caroline, it's good to see you!" the girl said, sitting down on the chair across from her, and Caroline smiled and put her phone back in her clutch, counting the moments until she could politely excuse herself to the restroom and take care of the almost painful ache of arousal in her lower belly.

They would be staying at a hotel the next day, and she couldn't wait.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! Any ideas on Caroline's plan? How did we feel about the sexting? Rebekah's (admittedly anti-climactic) reveal? The emotional progression of Klaus and Caroline's relationship? Please let me know in a review, as that's the only way I'll know what you think ;)  
There will probably be a time jump for the next chapter, and I'm excited to move the plot along.  
Hugs!  
-Angie**


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